This weekend I decided to have a little trip. I was not looking for an expensive hotel with 5 class service; although a buffet breakfast would be nice. I chose a little place in the country. It is what you would call a farm stay. The accommodation is simple, but there is a kettle to make a nice coffee in the morning. Sitting here on a quiet morning, I realize that basically all I can hear are the birds. There are no traffic noises or any other big city sounds. I wondered how this could benefit mental health.
According to research, getting in touch with nature helps us to be happier. This may seem quite obvious; getting away from the hustle and bustle would obviously reduce our stress, but how many of us think to spend some quiet time with nature. I think that partying with friends, having social drinks or having all-nighters have their time and place, but we all need to have a simple quiet weekend away.
Getting back to the research, according to the findings of a meta-analysis that was conducted on a large number of studies that had at least one measure of nature connectedness and at least one measure of happiness, it shows that people have a stronger experience of positive affect, vitality and life satisfaction.
Satisfaction in your life, positivity and vitality, these are all qualities that I certainly aspire to. It is great to find out that they can all be enhanced by just getting away from it all and being one with nature.
So, I think I will spend some more time away from the laptop to enjoy the nature here and I hope that you will be able to do the same soon. Happiness is something that we all need more of.
If you are feeling unhappy and need someone to talk to, feel free to contact me. The first session is free.
storysolutionstherapy@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/CounsellorTrent/
https://twitter.com/Story_Solutions
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4157607/
